Alaskan author Larry Kaniut has a framed photo in his home of a man who survived a bear attack standing next to the stuffed/mounted bear which is also standing. The top of the man's head is just past the middle of the upright bear.

Just because Larry has documented a bear attack where a person defended himself against a bear with a folding Buck knife does not mean that I carry a folding Buck knife for such a purpose.

If you want to read about actual bear/man encounters I suggest reading one or more of Larry's books.

So, to recap: in Alaska a "normal" Brown Bear can weigh 6 - 10 times more than most men, when standing tower between 3 - 4 feet over most men, and is almost as tall as many men standing when it's standing on all fours.

Then you can consider the record/larger than normal specimens.

"This nine year old girl from the Yukon shot this record brown bear in Alaska on the Alaskan Peninsula in October 2006. Skull size – 33 1/16, 11 feet 9 inches nose to tail, estimated weight – 1,800 pounds. Supposedly this was her first ever bear hunt."
Read her father's link, it was a little smaller; really very little.http://www.skinnymoose.com/bbb/2007/...rd-brown-bear/

So, where I live and hike, no .45 auto for the great outdoors.

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The lowest paid college major/degree in this country after graduation...
Elementary Education.